Piston-packing.



R. A. POWDEN.

. PISTON PACKING. APPLICATION FILED MAM, 1909.

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ROBEzRT A. FOWDEN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA..

PISTON-PACKING.

Application filed May, 1909. Serial No. 498,831.

citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Piston-Packing,`of which the following is aspecification.

`My invention relates to a piston packing, and in such connection it hasparticular relation to a metallic packinP for steam-or other engines,pumps, or thetlike, and which is capable of positive adjustment.

The object of my inventionis to provide a simple, durable and eiiicientmetallic packing for steam or other engines, pumps, or the like, whichmay be readily and positively adjusted without dismantling the engine,`so that proper 'adjustment may be. had to snit desired conditions.

It iswell known that the various types of split or spring ring andsimilar 'metallic packing commonly in use in steam vengines are notapplicable to all'conditions, and it is also well known that in theordinary form of split or spring ringpacking, the resiliency of thespring is lost in the courre oi time due to the Wearing4 of the ring, sothat. recourse has been had to various other forms of metallic packingwherein dependence was placed on helical or othersprings forcing themetallic packing outward at various parts ofthe circumference of thesame. With these forms of packing, however, .a

disadvantage occurs due to the diiierence. ot the pressureof.the'several springs employed so thatuniformity ofthe pressure of thehaving the proper relationship in diameter to the interior diameter ofthe cylinder, and if such conditions could be maintained in practice,that no packing would be required, as' withanfinfinitely small clearancesufi- Acient only to allow the piston to reciprocate in the cylinder, noleakagewould occur past ,the i iston, which condition, however, couldnot e maintained-1n practice due to the i 'wear resulting from thereciprocating motion.

My invention, therefore, contemplates a piston' packing which is adaptedto-be maintained at a theoretically perfect clearance point, means beingprovided to take up the vpacking'against, the cylinder does not exist atal points. It has longbeen known' to Wear resulting from thereciprocating mo tion as aforesaid.

The nature and characteristic features v'of my invention 'will be -moreclearly understood from the following description taken in connectionWith the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical, central, sectional view of a steam or otherengine cylinder, and a piston mounted therein containing the packingembodying the main features of mypres'ent invention; Fig. 2 is atransverse speciacation-of Letters Patent. Patented Nov, 22, 191()esection of the piston shown in Fig. 1, taken l approximately on the line2- -2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal', central section ofsaidlpiston, 'taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fi 2; Fig. 4 is aperspective' View of one 0f t le sector packing elements of my presentinvention; andFig. tive View of one of the bridge and adjusting elementsof the device.

[n the particular embodiment of -my in'- vention shown in the drawings,6 is an engine cylinder of an)y preferredvtype, 'in which is mounted thepiston 7, 'consisting preferably ot two cylindrical disk likemember Sand 9, suitably grooved and channeled i is a perspecto receive theelements of the piston packing, these members 8 and S) being securedtogether in any suitable manner such as the bolts l() passingtherethrough. The packing proper consists of a series of sector members11 mounted in a peripheral groove in -the assembled piston 7, theadjoining ends of the sector members ll-being slidablysup:

ported in the enter end of a bridgig and adjusting piece 12, which isgrooved as at .15 at its outer end to receive the ends 'of the sectormembers 1l. The groove 13 of steam engineers that if a piston, beemployed the bridging piece l2'is preferably made with a square base 14,and the ends of the.

' sector members 1 1 are recessed as at 15 complemental tothe squarebase 14 ofthe roove with a tapered bearing surface 16 at 'their innerends, which 'tapered bearing surface is adapted to rest agalnst theconical end 17 of the spindle 18, extending through the hollow tail rod19, which 'is secured to orV 5 integral with the rear ortion of thepiston 7. The outer -endfo the spindle 18 is threaded as at'2 0:a ndthev end of the interior of the tailrod 19 is complementally threadedies same to adjust the structure.

'to receive the threaded portion 20 of the members 1l are normally'heldretracted to helica the innermost limit permitted by the adjusting andbridging pieces 12 by means of tension springs 23, which are secured attheir inner ends to plns 24:.mounted in the piston, and at their outerends to pins mounted in the sector members 11. To

prevent circumferentiall motion of the sector members 11, whereby thesame would not remain in the proper relationship with -respectto thesquare base of the grooves 13 of the bridging and adjusting pieces 12,the pins 25 project beyond the side faces of the sector members 11 intogrooves 26 and 27 formed respectively in the interior of the disks 8 and9 constituting the piston 7.

It will now be seen that the helical tension springs 23, normallytending to retract the sector members 11, will cause said sectormembersat their respective ends to bear against the base 14 of thegroove 13 ofthe bridging and adjusting pieces 12 thereby forcing saidpieces 12 to contact at their interior ends 16 against the tapered end17 of spindle 18. It will thus be lunderstood that i the'square end 22of the spindle 18 be engaged and turned by-a wrench or other suitablemeans, the tapered portion 17 may b e advanced as desired to force thebridging and adjusting pieces l2 and the sector members 1l outward toany desired position so that the acking of the iston 7 may be readily ajusted as desire to suit the conditions under which the engine may beworking. In the initial construction of an engine containing the pistonpacking of the present invention, it is desirable, for the best results,that the assembled piston and packing be turned or machined to adiameter corresponding to the theoretical clearance dimension withrespect to the cylinder in which itis to work.' It will, of course, beunderstood that the spindle 18 may, -if desired, `be arranged in theinterior of the piston rod 2.8 instead of in the interior of the tailrod 19a Having thus described the nature and characteristic features ofmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A piston packing comprising a plurality ofA rigid sector members,a-plurality I of non-resilient bridging and adjusting pieces in whichthe ends of said sector meml bers are mounted, and positive lmeans forI. adjusting said bridging and adjusting pieces and sector members.

2. A piston packing comprising a4 plurality of rigid sector members, a,plurality of nonresilient bridgin and adjusting pieces in which theendsl o said sector members are mounted, and positive means for.

simultaneously adjusting said bridging and adjusting pieces and sectormembers.

3. A 'iston packing comprising a plurality o ri id sector members, aplurality of non-resilient bridging and adjusting pieces in which theends of said sector members are mounted, 'and positive means extendingexter'nalto the c linder for adjusting -said bridging and a justingpieces and sector members.

4. A piston packing comprising a plurality of rigid sector members, aplurality of non-resilient bridging and adjusting pieces in which theends of said sector members are mounted, and a tapered member engagingsaid bridging and adjusting pieces for smmltancously controlling thesame.

5. A piston'- packing comprising a plurality of rigid sector members aplurality of non-resilient bridging and ad in which the ends of saidsector members are mounted, and a tapered member controlled from tlieexterior of the cylinder engaging said bridging and adjusting pieces forsimultaneously controlling thesame.

6. A pistonpacking comprising a plu-- ralityof rigid sectory members, aplurality of uonresllient bridgin and adjusting pieces in which the endso said sector members are mounted, positive means for simul- .taneouslyadjusting saidbridgingand adjusting pieces, and means for retractingsaid j usting pieces sector members against said bridging and adjustingpieces.

7.'A rality o rigid sector members, a plurality of non-resilient bridginand adjusting pieces in which the ends o said sector members aremounted, positive means vfor simultaneouslyadjustin said bridging andad'- justing pieces, an 'springs for retracting said sector membersagainst said bridging and adjusting pieces.

8. A rality o rigid sector members, a plurality of non-resllientbridgin" and adjusting pieces in which the ends ofasaid sector membersare mounted, positive means for adjusting said bridging and adjustingpieces and sector members, and means for preventing circumferential'motion of said sector: members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo iston packing comprising a pluiston packingconiprising a plu-

